The Delicious History of 14 Pasta Shapes

[@mortasidhe1992]

I once made a 4 cheese farfalle just to 'use up' some ingredients. I absolutely nailed it, and of course, I wrote nothing down.

[@MentalFloss]

Anything that has the phrase "4 cheese" in it is already a winner.

[@W9e0e2e3e4pizza]

The burner on in the background really selling the whole thing.

[@MentalFloss]

Big props to Justin for putting himself in danger for the sake of pasta realism!

[@nickhelder212]

Its giving me anxiety lol

[@frederickleo2386]

Shells are my fave...perfect for pooling sauce in each bite! Or of course, stuffed shells too. Yum!!

[@wit6665]

my dude! **fist bump**

[@mysteriousyoungman]

Cacio e pepe is wonderful. Why this is not in every Italian restaurant is beyond me. I had it in several places in Rome. One restaurant served it in a bowl made of fried cheese. YUM!

[@MentalFloss]

Right?! I think (assuming you're talking about Italian restaurants in the US?) it has something to do with who immigrated to the US first (i.e. from what regions they came), and what ingredients were available when they got here. I'm guessing pecorino romano wasn't widely available. As for why it hasn't caught on more since then-like you, I'm at a loss.

[@chcodog1357]

This video was about 50 times more detailed than I thought anyone could be about pasta history

[@dinutepes]

Pasta la vista to you too! Very buona prezentazzione!

I'm not that hungry. I'll have a single spaghetto.

[@Leftyloveshuskies]

"Wagon Wheels" was my favorite pasta growing up

[@ellengutoskey2604]

gonna make a stan account for the red cutting board. love her work!

[@MentalFloss]

You say that, but if you knew how she acted on set...

[@Astronometric]

Thank you! This is the most accurate video I ever found about pasta. I roll my eyes every time I hear the Marco Polo story, and even more the "Italians do not eat spaghetti with meatballs". I am from Rome and one of my grandamas was from Ceccano, a small town between Abruzzo and Lazio. If in Abruzzo they make spaghetti with small meatball "pallottine", my granda always made his spaghetti with huuuge meatballs in tomato sauce. The choice of eating the meatball with the pasta or later on in the meal was personal, and there was no specific rule about it.

[@MentalFloss]

Nice! Thanks! Yeah, those kind of cultural memes are tough to get a hold of sometimes. I'm sure there's some cook somewhere who'd be horrified if you mixed your spaghetti and meatballs, and plenty who could care less. It was at least interesting for us to identify some specific exceptions to the "conventional wisdom." Thanks for watching, and for the added insight!

[@camillastacey4674]

Recently discovered the joy of orzo which is currently my favourite pasta to cook with.

[@MentalFloss]

I would definitely peruse "The Joy of Orzo" cookbook.

[@camillastacey4674]

Ooh, sounds good. Will take a look.

[@amye1642]

Sir, there is an unattended flame behind you.

[@genevievezimmerman2994]

That was my first thought. Why is the stove on? Why is the flame so high? Is anyone paying attention to that? What's in the pot?

[@nicolew8321]

I was watching it too 😂

[@macsarcule]

He’s boiling water, what’s the big deal.

[@maxymilien84]

I do love myself some puttanesca linguine. Tomatoes, olives, capers and anchovies. So simple and yet, so good. The best version of this dish I had was at a local restaurant that served a grilled swordfish steak on top. I was in heaven. Edit: Bremner in Montreal, Canada.

[@MentalFloss]

Great edit! When Americans can travel internationally again, I'm adding that to my Montreal list! Sounds Sicilian, which is such a fascinating/delicious branch of Italian cuisine- or some would probably suggest, not Italian cuisine at all.

[@DiLorenzo04]

But where did you aquire this marvelous shirt Justin? You are the trend setter 2020 needs

[@andreacigala2709]

Italian here, I started with a bit of prejudice about an American explaining pasta, but this was actually very well-explained and super interesting :)

[@MentalFloss]

Thanks! And knowing how seriously many Italians take their food and their food history, that means a lot! Now I need to know, though: what's your favorite pasta? (and if you feel comfortable sharing, what city/region do you come from?)

[@andreacigala2709]

@@MentalFloss sure! I'm from Milan, in northern Italy, hometown of risottos and polenta - where pasta is not that traditional. My favourite type of pasta is tagliatelle, which are most traditionally served with ragú bolognese, in the city of Bologna. I think that too is one of the oldest types of pasta

[@MentalFloss]

@@andreacigala2709 Ha, you inadvertently revealed a common American misconception, that Italian food is all about pasta! Even the term "Italian food" is a bit tricky, when you think about it. Which part of Italy? When? When a lot of these dishes were developing, there wasn't even a unified "Italy" as we recognize it today. Anyway, thanks for the comment, and for watching!

[@UnChannelDuVulpineX]

I use linguine, to which I add pesto, cheese, bacon, sausage medallions, broccoli, carrots and fine beans. It's so good!

[@MentalFloss]

Wow this sounds delicious AND colorful!

[@MattLovesVinyl]

Ravioli. Always ravioli. And no need to get fancy. Just simple ricotta and mozzarella ravioli served with Grandma's Sunday gravy, meatballs, spicy sausage, and fresh Italian bread with butter. Perfection.

[@chrislorusso433]

Bonus points for calling it gravy and not sauce.

[@Zeyev]

Favorite sauce to put on pasta? Puttanesca of course! One detail you could have mentioned is that North Dakota grows the majority of the durum wheat in the USA. The State so rarely gets mentioned for anything positive it could use the publicity.

[@Zeyev]

@Dwarf From The North It's more holey than holy with all of the drilling nowadays. I lived there only 2 years when I was in high school decades ago. How about you?

[@ricepaddymaddie]

I once made carbonara with spam instead of pancetta and I feel like somewhere an Italian grandma is crying. But it was very good!

[@peternajm9959]

Crying in Italian

[@TheZaBi94]

Just... make sure to double down the N sound in "penne", because "pene" as you pronounced it means penis instead of pens

[@ginabator7678]

They make pasta in that shape, too

[@TheZaBi94]

@@ginabator7678 cazzetti, (not really) a classic

[@LadyUnforgiven]

Well, luckily he didn't mention the "ditalini"... (Sai le risate XD)

[@TheZaBi94]

@@LadyUnforgiven ahahahah! Dubito translate sappia le sfumature più osè del termine per fortuna 😂

[@Plotatothewondercat]

We use gemelli to make a casserole with most of the same ingredients as lasagna here. We like it quite a lot, because unlike lasagna you don't have to break through every individual sheet of pasta to cleanly remove a slice from the pan. Just gotta break through the cheese on top and then scoop.

[@MentalFloss]

Gemelli casserole sounds delicious.

[@Plotatothewondercat]

@@MentalFloss It absolutely is. Holds sauce very well in the folds of the pasta.

[@zombieshy8684]

I love this video it was super interesting and informative. Please make more like it!

[@MentalFloss]

Thanks! We're just getting this series off the ground, but if you haven't checked out the previous episodes (covering everything from nachos to ramen), you can see them all here: kzbin.info/aero/PLYT7t0pcxEINn7R0XjGy3aj4cuLj8bn9U

[@katlong3945]

Campanelle is my fave pasta shape

[@lesleyhumphrey6498]

Great stuff! Informative and... hilarious. Love your dedication, research, and delivery.

[@Crasho327]

My favorite is Fettucini Alfredo with shrimp.

[@robbiepellicane3602]

This is such a cool video, who would’ve thought all the history behind pasta !!!!!!

[@petergriffin7908]

Garfield would love this video.

[@qtrfull]

Best dish ever: linguine with simple tomato sauce. Probably because friends made the ingredients in a cooking class in Naples. Second best: Creamy Corn Pasta With Basil from a post by Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times. Pureed corn and scallions combined with basil, scallion tops and Parmesan over orecchiette or farfalle. Dress with red pepper flakes and lemon juice for tang and heat. Sorry, I seem to be drooling.

[@Laurpud]

One of my favorite dishes is called Frog Eye Salad, or Funeral Fruit Salad. It uses a LOT of fruit, whipped cream, & Ancini de Pepe pasta, that look like weird little 'eyes'. It's literally dessert pasta! 😋

[@theatlanticlove]

need to know where justin got his kitty shirt! 😻

[@BlondLanfear]

Where is the Farfalle love? Cute shape, easy to eat and hold sauce well 💜💜💜

[@MentalFloss]

[@biancabrooks280]

Watching this while eating my mom's awesome lasagna

[@MentalFloss]

Jealous! Also curious: does her lasagna use a bechamel (/white sauce), or is it just pasta with a meat sauce and cheese? I grew up considering my grandma's lasagna perfect (which it was), but I'm pretty sure it skewed heavily into the "American" part of "Italian-American."

[@biancabrooks280]

Mental Floss both! She does layers of meat in red sauce and then a spinach and ricotta mixture with white alfredo sauce.

[@katthefantastic]

Sending online hug bro, thanks for the education. oh and I love spinach manicotti

[@Scoopra]

I'm eating crab spaghetti while I watch this

[@rvrmdude]

Spaghetti and Bolognese Sauce. I've loved it ever since I was a small child. It's not changing ever I don't care what other fancy pastas I get to keep on trying.

[@juliacohen8389]

i have that same cutting board set in the background. bed, bath, and beyond (the beyond section), baby!

[@AmberWool]

I have that same set. ALDI baby.

[@juliacohen8389]

AmberWool which color do u use the most? for me it's the green 😂

[@daveayerstdavies]

Watch out for pronunciation of 'penne'. It's a two syllable word: 'pen-ne'. If you don't sound the second 'n', it turns into 'pene' which is Italian for penis.

[@gandazgul]

And in spanish too

[@Nilandia]

My sister-in-law grew up in Milan. She and my brother taught me the glories of pasta aglio e olio. It's so simple, but so amazing. I like adding red pepper flakes to give it a bit of spice.

[@Neiot]

I've been on a pasta kick these last few months. It's a quick and preservable meal with not a lot of calories. I prefer penne, myself.

[@MentalFloss]

I, too, have been on a pasta cook these last few...*consults calendar*...decades?

[@fireaza]

Speaking of carbonara, I'd always assumed it must be difficult to make, like you had to make a white sauce or continually stir cream or something. Nope! Carbonara is nothing more than pasta, bacon grease, cheese and eggs! After cooking the pasta and bacon, you just throw it all together, along with whisked eggs and cheese, then mix it all up. That's all carbonara is!

[@MentalFloss]

Right?! So simple, yet so good. Incidentally, if you can get your hands on some guanciale in place of the bacon, it offers a similar porkiness with a little added...funk? I don't know, but I know it's good. You can make carbonara with it, or two more simple Italian classics- pasta alla gricia and amatriciana.

[@patriciaaturner289]

Don’t forget the pepper. That’s how it got the name “carbonara”; it was covered in ground black pepper to resemble charcoal.

[@giannarosize]

Not bacon, traditionally is made with guanciale, so if you don't have guanciale you will need an other cured pork product like pancetta pork sausage or salami

[@GothosRedux]

I make a roasted garlic and walnut pesto and use farfalle as the pasta.

[@marybrown4469]

Favorite is macaroni and cheese, followed by spaghetti and meatballs lasagna, Alfredo style pasta. BTW, love the puns!

[@LadyUnforgiven]

I'm from the specific area where the struncatura originated, and it's true, you could only buy it illegally. Now it's sold in stores but I've never eaten the exact original recipe because I don't like anchovies. Btw I love the orecchiette with turnip greens, tortellini with butter and salvia/sagebrush, ravioli, tortiglioni, any kind of pasta with mushrooms, plus I cook a great carbonara... We eat pasta with meatballs, but we put a lot of sauce and one, max two meatballs per plate, and they are so soft they melt in your mouth. Damn, I could talk about pasta for days.

[@guitarboy8100]

great video but I gotta tell you that you have your Blue Yeti placed wrong. The Yeti is a side address microphone not a top addresses. The logo should be pointing at you, not the floor, regardless of pickup pattern being used.

[@vespasiancloscan7077]

You got it mixed up, the Arabic itriyya comes from the Greek itrion. The word reached the Middle East from Greece, not the other way around.

[@XCHDragox115]

I always love myself some capellini or as some call it Angel Hair pasta. It’s so delicate but sooooo good

[@bdeitur]

I love anything with cavatelli in it

[@theheroesofcrash311]

Some of my favorite pasta dishes: - Tortellini with a little butter and salt - A simplistic comfort food. - Mac and Cheeseburger - A burger with mac and cheese on it. Add a little sauce made of ranch dressing mixed with hot sauce (as much or as little as you prefer) to add a little zing. - Mac and Cheese Pizza - Pizza crust topped with mac and cheese, plus some mozzarella on top. No tomato sauce needed. Is there anything that mac and cheese can't make better? - Garlic Pasta and Chicken - Grill some chicken with garlic powder or minced garlic. Swish a little spaghetti in the pan once it's cooked. Some like to put a little spinach in there too. - Egg Noodle Casserole. Cook egg noodles, then put in a casserole dish with butter. Sprinkle a good layer of Italian bread crumbs on top, followed by a drizzling of melted butter. Broil in oven until the top starts to brown. Take it out, let it cool a sec, mix it up, and enjoy!

[@MentalFloss]

Wow, you are not afraid to go all the way there, and for that I applaud you. We once shot a cooking video that was a hamburger on a "bun" of fried mac and cheese patties, and my heart hurt for a day.

[@theheroesofcrash311]

@@MentalFloss As a pastaholic, I take that as a compliment. :-) To be fair, though, that mac and cheeseburger recipe is ripping off something Red Robin used to have on their menu. The pizza is my improved version of a common dish at Cici's. :-)

[@maryvon8518]

The best pasta dish? Good mac and cheese. The worst? Bad mac and cheese. I rarely eat it because it's so often bland but if it's a good one it's amazing.

[@invisibleninja86]

I had never tried or heard of carbonara until I was 24 years old and babysitting some older kids. The mom left ingredients on the counter and said, "You can just make them carbonara for dinner while they do their homework, I figured that would be easy." I was too embarrassed to tell her I had no idea what she was talking about, so I just googled it as soon as she left. Luckily I did okay, and I liked it so much I made it for myself later on. Aside from that, I do miss the pasta with different-colored stripes that we would sometimes get as kids.

[@TheVagabond7]

Manicotti or cannaloni are probably my favorite, but any pasta stuffed with meat and/or cheese really does it for me.

[@tarry_ny]

I had an Italian flatmate last year who once made me home-made carbonara with home-made pasta, and it was the best meal I've had

[@MentalFloss]

If they're looking for a new roommate, you know who to call.

[@Astronometric]

Funny, carbonara is traditionally made with dried pasta, because the eggs in the dough are redundant with the sauce.

[@JDoors]

It would be impossible to choose a favorite pasta dish -- All of them? Almost the same for pasta shapes, but I have a particular fondness for; Radiatori (holds sauces well), Farfalle (just so darned cute), Gemelli (toothsome, in a good way), Rotini (holds sauce well) and that "looks like a spring" one I can't remember just now (just makes a cool looking dish, like controlled chaos).

[@theartisticdrive6133]

You prob know by now peanut sauce/butter is a very common Thai, SE Asia dish. Surprisingly it’s very good, insanely filling.

[@OhioEddieBlack]

My favorite when I was little was wagon wheels but IDK the proper name for them. Second favorite was bowties. Also, I speculate that you would be extremely fun to hang out with.

[@pastaforever3986]

this video is a blessing a blessing from the lord

[@jsknapp6161]

Dustin, I recall haring about a pasta shape being designed by a computer program - to optimize the surface area available to hold sauce. It was within the last 10 years, possibly part of a competition, but I can't find anything online about it. (I just get results about PC computers constructed from pasta. Ha!) I was thinking it was radiatore.. but evidently that pasta was created in the 20th century. Any knowledge of this optimized pasta...?

[@deboralee1623]

🎶"...heyyy, Macaria!"🎶

[@JontyLevine]

On the subject of pasta looking like a woman's hair, I always thought Daenerys's golden locks resembled some kind of pasta, perhaps Fusili Lunghi - I think that's what that variety is called.

[@JuicyCrone]

That pot on the stove is making me anxious 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳

[@MentalFloss]

LOL that was every staff member on Slack. "Turn the burner off!" "Please do not burn the house down." etc.

[@SleepNeed]

No idea how authentic it is, but I love cheese tortellini with pesto.

[@MentalFloss]

I say the backlash to "authenticity-above-all" is in full swing; enjoy your pasta however you like. Sure, it can be nice to have a pasta dish with the pasta sauce it was originally (or most popularly) matched with, and it's nice to know the roots of our food to appreciate where it comes from (to the extent we can know). But defining what's "authentic" is such a slippery proposition in the first place, it definitely shouldn't get in the way of enjoying our meals!

[@DiggingNorway]

funny, entertaining and informative 👍

[@Hoteldeathcats]

Fav has to be mom's home made, baked, VT cheddar mac n cheese crusted with parm and strips of bacon on top...YUM! Great with butter fried hot dogs blistered n blackened on the side.

[@sarajanewebster5321]

Pesto, roasted grape tomatoes, and green beans with penne. It’s delicious and light 😋🍝

[@koepisking]

Hasta la pasta!

[@ZoggFromBetelgeuse]

I like Spätzle.

[@jebovasja]

Me too

[@alyssaquyn]

I also love all things carbonara/carbonara-adjacent! Also, bun bo hue is pronounced more like "boon bawh hwhey" but good try!

[@MentalFloss]

Dang, thanks! It can be a bit tricky tracking down pronunciations, especially when we're mixing several languages in one video, but it's definitely something we're trying to improve upon. Appreciate the feedback!

[@OscarLeeMX]

Carbonara is my absolute favourite too!

[@Manish-ht9np]

Vermicelli is quite popular here in India. Also called 'Sevai' it is cooked with milk and sugar as a dessert.

[@clem719]

“I cannot, however, endorse peanut butter and jelly pasta,” completely ignoring the fact that Uncrustables exist

[@Alex727Pasco]

So the old man from my big fat Greek wedding was right hahaha give me a word any word 🤣

[@jrasquared1]

8 oz cavatappi, 1 lb cut asparagus or 8oz fresh green beans, 2 cloves of garlic, 2-4 Tbsp butter, zest and juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper.

[@LordShenanigan]

If spaghetti is plural of spaghetto then is doggi plural of doggo?

[@Dayglodaydreams]

Do one on beef sandwiches, or the shrimp sandwiches or something.

[@Dayglodaydreams]

Just shrimp Po boys, or shrimp sandwiches.

[@thefallenlime]

My favorite pasta dish is basically a white lasagna: Alfredo sauce, Italian sausage, bacon, spinach, green peppers, mushrooms, and onions with plenty of feta and mozzarella cheese.

[@ShepStevVidEOs]

Macaroni and cheese, ravioli, and tortellini are irresistible to me. Maybe it’s the cheese.

[@Kenjiro5775]

Clam sauce and a garlicky red as a close second.

[@19mitch54]

A Roman once told me that Barilla was the best selling pasta not because it is particularly good but because it is cheap as hell.

[@Grumpini]

"bunbowhew" for bunbuhue lol

[@mohammadalhajahjeh393]

Welcome world for the gift of pasta.

[@naomibyrdo]

Pasta La Vista Baby!!!

[@GrantButler]

Looking at the background all I can think of is "WHERE'S FRANCIS?!" 🤣

[@jhoughjr1]

you said spaghetti and meatballs but that looked like linguini

[@courtneyrobertson1092]

Chicken Alfredo Farafalle (however it’s spelled, the bow tie one) is my favorite noodle dish only just above Mongolian bbq (the one where you make your own bowl and the chefs fry it in front of you)

[@hatebeing_sober]

Chicken Alfredo doesn't exist in Italian cuisine, and to be fair, I'm not Italian so you don't have to be Italian to know that

[@cryptic89]

Fettuccine is my favourite type of pasta. I like how sauces and spices cling to the flatter surface compared to spaghetti and what feels like a fuller bit compared to angel hair. Also, when I began making my own pasta at home the thick strips were easier for a novice like me to do so there's a fond nostalgic bias ^_^

[@AmberWool]

I wish I could make either pasta or noodles. Yes, I know how simple the recipe is. Somehow it never works for me. So, I buy my pasta and make my own marinara.

[@carolinevs943]

The pot on the lit stove is worrying

[@Silkendrum]

I am so disgustingly American - I love me some elbow macaroni and cheese. Doesn't even much matter what kind of cheese.

[@giannarosize]

Makaria(Μακαρία) means the blessed one when it comes to female, Makarios (Μακάριος) comes from the verb makar (μακάρ) in ancient greek

[@machism.a]

ok but pasta boy is cute

[@ralphmills7322]

My favorite? Uhh...Shells? (do they even have an Italian name?)

[@MentalFloss]

Sure do! Conchiglie (which I believe just means "shells" in Italian).

[@ralphmills7322]

@@MentalFloss Grazie!

[@Just-A-Guy-TV]

I am watching this while cooking pasta

[@AnyZee]

Spying on Justin changing inspired me to make kielbasa 😏

[@betterlivingthroughdxm3854]

Anything Alfredo. Or veal/eggplant parmesan

[@DarkDennis1961]

I like Pancit Bihon from the Philippines. please explain its origin. pleeeaese someone.

[@JoaoPessoa86]

The Portuguese word for spaghetti is macarrão which comes from macaroni

[@sokra]

Lol that bun bo hue pronunciation

[@Masteroftacos]

Maple Curry Chicken Penne BABEY!

[@drewesalahor4857]

Love it! But Italy wasn't technically a country until 1871.

[@Apophis324]

Is this episode sponsored by Ajax? :P

[@MentalFloss]

LOL Erin's first note: "I think you can flip the Ajax bottle next time."

[@Apophis324]

Okay that made me laugh ^ u^

[@Katiez2399]

Heaps of people cook it that way but al dente isn’t cooked or soft enough for me

[@MentalFloss]

No! You MUST cook it al dente!!! (sorry, grandma jumped out there for a second. Do you. Enjoy.)